Liquid dispensing closure

ABSTRACT

A liquid dispensing closure for bottles and the like comprising a one-piece body having an end wall for covering the mouth of the bottle and a depending skirt for threading onto the neck of the bottle. A dispensing aperture in the end wall is surrounded by a spout that affords directional control of a stream of liquid being dispensed and reduced dribbling when dispensing is discontinued. A flap is hinged on the end wall to open and close the aperture with an associated depending plug that fits in the spout. The end wall, spout and hinged flap are arranged in a manner relative to one another that permits the flap to be advantageously molded in an upright position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to dispensing closures for containers and,in particular, to dispensing closures for liquids.

Prior Art

[0002] Injection-molded thermoplastic closures are well-known in thepackage industry. A popular style of such closures is shown, forexample, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,693,399, 4,936,494 and 5,330,082. Theseclosures or “caps”, typically, are arranged to screw onto a containerand have one or more flaps for selectively closing and opening adispensing aperture in an end wall extending across the mouth of thecontainer. Generally, closures of this type are used for dry granular orparticulate materials.

[0003] It is known to construct dispensing closures for liquids, forexample, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,503, but generally their designs havelimitations in their utility and/or in the costs and ease ofmanufacture. Typically, the contents are dispensed by tilting thecontainer fitted with the closure, although some applications caninvolve discharge of the contents where the container is squeezed or thecontents are otherwise pressurized.

[0004] It is desirable that a liquid dispensing cap have a spout thatgives directional control to the discharge stream and that projects fromsurrounding surface areas to reduce dribbling when dispensing flow isinterrupted.

[0005] For economy of manufacture and convenience to the user, it isdesirable that the flap or cover that closes the dispensing aperture bemolded integrally with the main body of the cap and be connected to thebody with an integral living or flexible hinge. For manufacturingeconomies, it is desirable that the flap be molded in a 90° positionrelative to the end wall of the cap. This condition is preferred becausea relatively large number of parts can, as a result, be molded in apress of a given size. An integral flap, a spout and a 90° flap moldingorientation have, until the present invention, been generally mutuallyincompatible features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention provides an improved injection-molded one-piecedispensing closure or cap particularly suited for dispensing liquidsfrom a container or bottle on which the cap is assembled. A disclosedcap, constructed in accordance with the invention, has an axially orvertically extending spout that offers directional control of a streamof liquid being dispensed when the container on which the cap is fittedis tilted and a drip resistant structure that reduces dribbling when thebottle is turned upright. The cap includes an integral flap carried on aliving hinge. The flap has a projecting plug that fits into the spoutwith a fluid-tight seal. In a preferred configuration of the cap, an endwall that spans the mouth of the container and supports the dispensingspout is uniquely tilted or stepped from a horizontal reference plane,such as a plane represented by a sealing surface area of the cap thatengages the mouth of a container. This inclined or stepped plane of theend wall surrounding the spout enables the cap to be practically moldedwith limited complexity in the tooling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a capconstructed in accordance with the invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cap of FIG. 1;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the cap of FIG. 1;

[0010]FIG. 3A is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of the hingeportion of the cap;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a top view of the cap of FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 1 taken in avertical plane through the center of the cap;

[0013]FIG. 5a is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cap correspondingto an area of FIG. 5;

[0014]FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the capof FIG. 1 showing a flap plug in fluid-tight sealing engagement with apour spout;

[0015]FIG. 7 is an enlarged front perspective view of a secondembodiment of the invention;

[0016]FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of adispensing spout of the cap of FIG. 7; and

[0017]FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic, fragmentary cross-sectional viewof tooling elements for forming the cap of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a firstembodiment of the invention in the form of a liquid dispensing closureor cap 10. The cap 10 is preferably formed as an integral or one-pieceinjection-molded product of a suitable thermoplastic material such aspolypropylene or other material well-known in the art. It will beunderstood that ordinarily a cap is installed upright on the top of acontainer or bottle 11 (FIG. 5) with a mouth 12 that typically lies in ahorizontal plane. In the present context, the vertical directiongenerally corresponds to an axial direction with reference to thegeometry of the cap 10 and the horizontal direction or a horizontalplane will be understood to be perpendicular to the axial direction ofthe cap, i.e. the vertical direction. It will be understood that duringmolding, discussed below, the cap can have a non-upright orientation butthis same reference terminology will be used.

[0019] The cap 10 (FIG. 1) has an end wall 13 which, in the illustratedcase, comprises an inclined central deck area 14 and lateral transitionareas 17. A generally cylindrical hollow or tubular skirt 18 dependsfrom the end wall 13. The interior of the skirt 18 is formed withinwardly projecting screw threads 19 (FIG. 5), adapted to engagecomplementary threads 21 on the neck 22 of the bottle 11. The exteriorof the skirt 18 can be smooth or provided with small vertical grooves orother texture to improve its ability to be gripped by a person'sfingers.

[0020] A flap or lid 26 is pivotally joined to the end wall 13 by aliving hinge 27 that lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thecap's cylindrical skirt 18 and has a chordal orientation with respect tothe projected or plan area of the end wall 13. The hinge 27 is arelatively thin wall area that is capable of flexing without breakingthroughout the expected service life of the cap 10. The hinge 27,preferably, although not necessarily, is characterized by a smallindentation or V-shaped notch 30 preferably running the full length ofthe hinge. The notch 30 forms a weakened area in the compression side ofthe hinge 27 so that the hinge will fold at precisely the same locationfrom cap to cap, thus assuring repeatability of performance.

[0021] The inclined deck 14 of the end wall 13 has a pear-shapeddispensing opening 28 with its narrow end proximal to the hinge 27 andits major end distal from the hinge. Preferably, but not necessarily,the opening or aperture 28 is, in an end or plan view of the cap 10,symmetrical about a longitudinal axis that lies in a plane perpendicularto the hinge and is centered laterally in the cap. A spout 29 forms theboundary of the opening 28. The spout 29 stands vertically or axially upfrom the end wall 13. In the illustrated example, the spout has itsgreatest axial extension or height above the end wall central deck 14 ata major end 31 of the dispensing opening distal from the hinge. Thisheight is, preferably, about at least twice the nominal wall thicknessof the cap. The illustrated cap with a 38 mm nominal diameter has anominal wall thickness of 0.050 in. At a minor proximal end 32 (relativeto the hinge) of the dispensing opening, the spout 29 merges into theplane of the upper or exterior surface of the end wall so that it has noheight above the end wall in this area. However, if desired, the spoutcould extend above the end wall at this location as will be appreciatedfrom an understanding of the discussion below. Preferably, although notnecessarily, as shown, an upper edge 33 of the spout 29 lies in ahorizontal plane. A pair of axially spaced sealing ribs 34 extendcontinuously along the inner periphery of the spout 29 parallel to theplane of the upper edge 33. The wall forming,the spout 29 dependssomewhat below the plane of the end wall at the minor end 32 of theopening 28 to provide adequate axial space for the sealing beads 34. Asshown, wall areas of the spout 29 are generally vertically or axiallyoriented apart from any necessary or desired draft.

[0022] The flap 26 has a generally rectangular profile in plan view(when closed) and is somewhat hood-shaped at its distal end (withreference to the hinge 27). Located on the underside of the flap 26 is adepending wall 37 having a curvilinear configuration that iscomplimentary to the dispensing aperture or opening 28 and the interiorof the spout 29. The wall 37, with a portion 38 of the flap 28 itcircumscribes, forms a hollow plug capable of closing the aperture 28 ina fluid-tight manner. More specifically, when the flap 26 is closedagainst or adjacent the end wall 13 the depending plug wall 37 entersthe spout 29 and its outside surface is engaged by the sealing beads orribs 34 with a fluid-tight engagement. The wall 37 may be beveled at itslower outer edge to assist in closing action when it is pressed into thespout 29. Projecting rib segments 41 on the outer surface of the plugwall 37 are positioned and proportioned to snap into the vertical oraxial space between the sealing beads 34 to frictionally releasably holdthe flap 26 in a closed position by an interference fit between theupper bead 34 and the ribs 41 (FIG. 6).

[0023] A shallow recess 42 is molded in the skirt 18 diametricallyopposite the hinge 27 to afford a finger or fingernail grip under thedistal edge of the flap. Moderate upward pressure applied to theunderside of the flap 26 will overcome the retention forces of the ribs41 and sealing bead 34 and friction between the plug wall 37 and thesealing beads 34.

[0024] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 5a, the illustrated cap 10 has onthe underside of its end wall 13 a peripheral circumferentiallycontinuous annular surface 43 lying in a horizontal or radial plane andan axially depending lip 44. The lip or wall 44 can be beveled slightlyso that it becomes radially smaller with distance from the end wall 13.The depending lip or wall 44 is situated and proportioned on the endwall 13 so that when the cap 10 is fully tightened on a bottle 11, itfits into the mouth 12 of the bottle in a plug-like manner to effect afluid-tight seal with an inner surface of the mouth 12. This plug-likeconstruction is particularly suited for use with an injection blowmolded plastic bottle. Alternatively, the lip 44 can be omitted and theannular surface 43 can effect a seal on the upper edge of the bottlemouth 12. If desired, a sealing membrane such an induction seal linerknown in the art can be interposed across the mouth 12 and pressedbetween the surface 43 and the upper edge of the bottle mouth.

[0025] The aperture 28 and spout 29 are particularly useful fordispensing liquids from a container. The aperture/spout geometry allowshigh discharge rates without glugging. This is achieved by therelatively high location of the proximal or minor end of the aperture 28which readily admits air into the container to replace the volume ofliquid that is being discharged without a great risk that the liquidwill rise above this end of the aperture as the container is tilted fordispensing. The spout 29, additionally, serves to confine a stream ofliquid being dispensed so that it affords good directional control.Further, the spout 29 serves to reduce dribbling when the container isup-righted to discontinue dispensing.

[0026]FIG. 9 schematically illustrates tooling for injection-molding thecap 10. The tooling elements include a core 51 through which the cavityforming the cap 10 is gated. The cap skirt 18 is surrounded by a cavityblock 52. The upper face of the flap 26 and adjacent portions of the endwall 13 are formed by the cavity block 52. A major portion of the endwall 13 and peripheral portions of the underside of the flap includingthe outward sides of the plug wall 37 are formed by a master slide 54.The upper edge 33 and the interior surfaces of the spout 29 are formedby a primary subslide 55. The inner surface of the plug wall 37 and theincluded underside surface of the flap area 38 are formed by a secondarysubslide 53.

[0027] The core 51, cavity block 52, master slide 54, primary subslide55 and secondary subslide 53 are positioned relative to one another asshown in FIG. 9 at the beginning of a molding cycle. When moltenthermoplastic material forming the cap has been injected into the moldcavity space bounded by these tooling elements and has solidifiedsufficiently, these elements are separated from the cap surfaces torelease the cap. The subslides 55 and 53 are carried on and move inshort transnational strokes relative to the master slide 54. The masterslide 54 moves laterally with respect to the molding machine platen andaxis of the cap 10; the primary subslide 55 moves perpendicularly to themaster slide movement and the secondary subslide moves parallel to themaster slide movement. Suitable devices well known in the art includingconnecting links, cams, springs and piston and cylinder actuatorsresponsive to the opening movement of the molding machine platen areused to produce the following sequence of movement of the toolingelements. First, the subslide 55 is retracted in the axial or upwarddirection as shown in FIG. 9 into the main or master slide 54 so that itmoves completely out of the spout 29 and opening 28. At the same time,the secondary subslide 53 retracts laterally to clear the plug wall 37.Next, the main slide 54 moves laterally horizontally to the left in FIG.9 carrying the primary subslide 55 and secondary subslide 53 with it.Note that the cap molding surface areas 58 of the main slide adjacentthe hinge 27 lie axially above the upper edge 33 of the spout 29 so thatthere is no interference between these bodies which would prevent thislateral motion. This geometry may be achieved by slanting the deck 14 asshown or by stepping this area so that it has a higher elevationadjacent the hinge than at the area of the spout. The main slide 54 iscaused to move laterally a distance away from the flap 26 sufficient tocompletely withdraw its surfaces that form the underside of the flap outof any recesses of the flap. Thereafter, the cavity block 52, carryingthe main slide 54 and the subslide 55 is moved axially away from thecore 51 to free the cap 10 for stripping from the core 51. The dashedlines in FIG. 1 indicate the parting lines between the primary subslide55 and master slide 54. The sequence of movement of the tooling parts isreversed from that described above when the mold is closed for the nextmolding cycle. The master slide 54 and secondary subslide 53 provide forescape of air between their mating surfaces to ensure a complete fillingof the mold cavity zone forming the plug wall 37.

[0028] From the foregoing discussion and reference to FIG. 9, it will beseen that the cap 10 can be advantageously molded with the flap open (ata position that is generally parallel to the axis of the cap 10 orperpendicular to the plane of a sealing surface area 43 or 44) and withthe axially extending spout 29. By molding the cap 10 with the flap 26open, the hydraulic forces and area needed on the molding machine arereduced and, therefore, more cavities can be provided on a given tonnagecapacity molding machine.

[0029]FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention. Inthis embodiment, parts corresponding to like parts in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-6 have been identified with the same numerals. A dispensingaperture 60 is disposed in the end wall 13. The aperture 60 isrelatively small and is preferably circular in form. A circular spout 61surrounds the aperture 60 and extends upwardly from the end wall 13. Thespout 61 is generally cylindrical in form but may have external orinternal draft angles if desired. The spout 61 has an internal seal bead62 extending circumferentially along an inner surface 63 of the spout(FIG. 8). The flap 26 has a hollow cylindrical plug 66 arranged to fitinto the spout 61 when the flap 26 is closed. The plug 66 is dimensionedto fit into the sealing bead 62 with sufficient interference to providea fluid-tight seal therebetween. A cylindrical skirt 67 on the flap 26is concentric with the plug 66 and is proportioned to fit snuggly overthe spout 61 to provide a secondary, preferably fluid tight, seal forthe aperture 60 when the flap 26 is closed onto the end wall 13. The cap59 of FIGS. 7 and 8 can be molded with the same tooling arrangementdescribed in connection with FIG. 9. The dotted lines in FIG. 7represent the parting lines between a subslide and a main slide. The cap59 can be used with viscous liquids and/or squeezable containers.

[0030] While the invention has been shown and described with respect toparticular embodiments thereof, this is for the purpose of illustrationrather than limitation, and other variations and modifications of thespecific embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent tothose skilled in the art all within the intended spirit and scope of theinvention. For example, the invention can be employed with closures thathave other configurations in plan view, besides round, such as square,rectangular, or oval. The closure can be attached to a container, otherthan by screw threads, such as by a push-on or push-in fit or by anadhesive or welding process. The aperture in the end wall can, ifdesired or necessary, be smaller in cross-section than thecross-sectional area of the spout. Accordingly, the patent is not to belimited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein shown anddescribed nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent towhich the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece injection-molded thermoplastic capfor dispensing liquids from a container comprising an end wall, acontainer sealing surface area adjacent a periphery of the end wall, adispensing opening in the end wall, a spout surrounding the opening, thespout standing off the end wall a distance substantially greater thanthe nominal wall thickness of the cap, a flap for opening and closingthe aperture, the flap being pivotal on a living hinge on the end wall.2. A cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flap has a wall formationfor stopping fluid flow out of the opening when the flap is in a closedposition adjacent the end wall.
 3. A cap as set forth in claim 2,wherein said wall formation has the form of a hollow plug.
 4. A cap asset forth in claim 3, wherein the hollow plug wall formation fits intothe spout.
 5. A cap as set forth in claim 4, wherein the plug wallformation forms a liquid-tight seal with a wall of the spout.
 6. A capas set forth in claim 5, wherein the wall formation is formed by matingtool elements that ensure complete fill in this zone of the cap byventing of air between these mating elements.
 7. A cap as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the hinge lies in a plane generally parallel to a planerepresented by said sealing surface area.
 8. A cap as set forth in claim7, wherein the hinge has a small notch extending along its length toassure that the hinge folds precisely at the notch.
 9. A cap as setforth in claim 7, wherein said spout has an upper edge, the plane ofsaid hinge being disposed above said upper spout edge.
 10. A cap as setforth in claim 9, wherein said spout edge lies in a plane generallyparallel to the plane of said sealing surface area.
 11. A cap as setforth in claim 9, wherein the end wall surrounding said opening isinclined downwardly toward the plane of said sealing surface area in adirection away from said hinge.
 12. A cap as set forth in claim 1,wherein said end wall and sealing surface area are generally circular.13. A cap as set forth in claim 12, including a cylindrical skirtdepending from the periphery of said end wall.
 14. A cap as set forth inclaim 13, wherein said skirt has internal threads.
 15. A cap as setforth in claim 14, wherein the sealing surface area is configured toprovide a plug fit on the interior of a container mouth.
 16. A cap asset forth in claim 1, wherein the spout is generally circular in across-sectional plane parallel to the plane of the sealing surface area.17. A cap as set forth in claim 16, wherein the flap has a cylindricalformation for sealing the spout.
 18. A cap as set forth in claim 17,wherein the flap has concentric cylindrical formations for sealing thespout.
 19. A cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein said opening iselongated in a direction generally perpendicular to the hinge.
 20. A capas set forth in claim 19, wherein said opening is generally pear-shaped,with the minor end of the opening being proximal to the hinge.
 21. Amethod of producing a liquid dispensing one-piece closure having asparts an end wall, a dispensing aperture through the end wall and aspout extending upwardly from the end wall, a peripheral skirt forattaching the closure to a container and a flap integrally attached tothe top of the end wall by a living hinge for covering and uncoveringthe spout for dispensing comprising assembling mold elements to form acavity to mold the parts of the cap, the mold cavity elements includinga master slide and a subslide carried in the master slide, using thesubslide to form the interior of the spout and the master slide to forman underside of the flap in an upstanding orientation generallyperpendicular to the end wall and a portion of an upper side of the endwall situated between the spout and hinge, releasing the cap from themold cavity by moving the subslide out of the spout and thereaftermoving the master slide, carrying the subslide, away from the upstandingflap.
 22. A method as set forth in claim 21, wherein the hinge is formedat a level above an upper edge of the spout.
 23. A method as set forthin claim 22, including forming a projecting wall on the underside of theflap adapted to engage surface areas on the spout.
 24. A method as setforth in claim 23, wherein the projecting wall on the flap is arrangedto enter the spout.
 25. A method as set forth in claim 24, wherein theprojecting wall is partially formed by a second subslide carried by saidmaster slide and partially by said master slide, said second subslidebeing moved in the slide direction of the master slide relative to themaster slide.
 26. A method as set forth in claim 21, wherein the endwall is formed on its underside with a container engaging surfaceextending in a horizontal plane and the upper surface of the end wall isformed at different levels, the level adjacent the hinge being higherthan the level remote from the hinge.
 27. A one-piece thermoplasticscrew-on closure for dispensing liquids from a bottle comprising an endwall and a generally cylindrical skirt depending from the end wall, theskirt having internal threads for mating with the external threads onthe neck of the bottle, the end wall having a central region in which isformed an elongated dispensing aperture, the end wall having anunderside on which is formed a circumferentially continuous bottlesealing surface area lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thecylindrical skirt, a flap for opening and closing the aperture, the flapbeing pivotally joined to the end wall by a living hinge, the axis ofthe hinge being generally perpendicular to the lengthwise direction ofthe aperture, the end wall having a first elevation above the plane ofthe sealing surface area adjacent an end of the aperture distal from thehinge and a second elevation above the plane of the sealing surface areagreater than the first elevation adjacent an end of the apertureproximal to the hinge, the hinge having an elevation above the plane ofthe sealing surface area at least as high as said second elevation, aspout surrounding said aperture, the spout having an elevation adjacentthe distal end of the aperture substantially greater than the firstelevation and less than the elevation of said hinge, the flap includinga hollow plug proportioned to fit into said spout and close saidaperture in a fluid-tight manner.
 28. A one-piece thermoplastic screw-onclosure as set forth in claim 27, wherein the cap is molded with theflap generally upright and the hollow plug has a peripherally continuouswall molded by separate tool elements that extend along the periphery ofthe wall.
 29. A one-piece thermoplastic screw-on closure as set forth inclaim 27, wherein the hinge has a notch running lengthwise and beingrelatively small in comparison to the thickness of the hinge, wherebythe notch ensures a precise location of the folding action of the hinge.